U.S. Navy Seizes Narcotics in Arabian Sea

U.S. sailors seized more than 200 pounds of heroin and methamphetamines Saturday after an Arab sailing crew in the northern Arabian Sea tossed bags of the drugs overboard.

Authorities were investigating whether Al Qaeda was linked to the shipment.

The seizure came a day after the Navy said it had confiscated nearly 2 tons of hashish that was believed to be tied to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network. The seizure Monday in the Persian Gulf may be some of the first evidence of Al Qaeda links to drug smuggling.

In Saturday’s daybreak operation, sailors on the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea boarded two dhows, or traditional Arab sailing boats, and detained 21 crew members, according to a statement issued by the Navy’s 5th Fleet. The dhows also were confiscated.

A Navy aircraft had filmed the crew of one dhow throwing about 200 bags overboard as it “attempted to outrun” the cruiser, the statement said. When the sailors caught up with the dhow, they found 85 pounds of a substance believed to be pure heroin and worth at least $1.5 million.

On the other dhow, sailors seized about 150 pounds of methamphetamines.

Rear Adm. Jim Stavridis said in the statement that U.S. officials are “investigating potential Al Qaeda connections to these operations.”

The air forces of Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United States had tracked the dhows for two days after receiving information gleaned from Monday’s seizure.

During that operation, sailors from the guided-missile destroyer Decatur boarded the dhow near the Strait of Hormuz. The 12 crew members of the dhow, which was carrying hashish, were detained.